Stranded
by Beth C
Summary: Cold weather. Shawn and Hunter. Someone is sick and needs his friend. Need I say more? Sorry no slash this time. R & R!


Stranded

By Beth C

Summary: Cold weather. Shawn and Hunter. Someone is sick and needs his friend. Need I say more? Sorry no slash this time.

Time frame: Winter of 2006 – DX is still going strong – (I can dream, right?)

Rating: T or PG whichever fits.

Feedback: I love feedback.

Disclaimer: Not mine, Never will be. Just had to write to get this muse to stop biting me. All WWE belongs to Vince. Don't sue, please. If I made money off this would I be at my miserable job?

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"Hurry up."

"I am!"

"Just crank it."

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"You really don't want me to answer that, do you?"

Hunter let out a large sigh and turned the key in the ignition of the rental car once again while stepping soundly on the gas pedal. The engine whined for a few seconds then cut out completely.

The large man slammed his hand against the steering wheel and released the key. A cold gust of wind blew through his open door and he shivered. "Forget it, Shawn," he called out to the other man who was checking under the hood. "It's not gonna start."

Hunter closed his door to the chill and watched as Shawn lowered the car's hood. His best friend was pulling his winter coat tightly around his body as he walked towards the passenger side of the car.

A frigid gust of wind accompanied the Heartbreak Kid into the car even as Hunter braced for it. He was wearing his own heavy leather coat but it still wasn't warm enough. He shivered again then relaxed as Shawn closed the door.

"Well, that's it then." Shawn stated matter-of-factly. "We are stuck out in the middle of God-knows-where and we can't get the car started."

Hunter shook his head. "Hey now, don't blame this one on me." He reached into his jacket pocket and took out his cell phone. He activated it then frowned at the tiny screen displaying the ominous words – NO SIGNAL. "I'm not the one who wanted to take the shortcut back to the hotel to avoid the fans."

"Well, I didn't want us to get mobbed. I just wanted to get back to the hotel as quick as possible," the Texan drawled. "Besides aren't you supposed to know this area? This is Connecticut after all."

The Game replaced the phone into its holster and hooked it to his hip. "Well, just because I have a home in this state doesn't mean that I know every single road in it."

Shawn chuckled slightly at the remark. "Ok, point given." He raised his hands up to his mouth and blew on his chilled fingers, trying to restore some blood circulation. "Regardless of how we got here, we are here now, and we don't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon." He went from blowing to massaging his fingers now. Why had he forgotten to grab his gloves?

"You got that right," Hunter grumbled, eyeing the man sitting across the car from him. He wanted nothing more than to be back at the hotel room snuggling with his wife Stephanie while she massaged his aching muscles that were still tense from tonight's match. Instead he had to share the front seat of the rented Ford something or other with a bonifide primadonna who probably wouldn't be able to handle the cold. To top it all off, he hadn't been feeling well lately; not since returning to the northern half of this country. He didn't want Shawn to know and had been trying to brush it off as nothing more than fatigue and overwork. He hoped he wasn't getting the flu.

Shawn switched from trying to warm his hands up via hot breath and massage to simply tucking them under his armpits. "How cold do you think it is out there?"

Hunter shrugged. "I'd guess for this time of year, it's in the high teens, maybe the low twenties. It always drops like this around the holiday season, then slowly warms back up come March and April." He crossed his arms and rested them upon the steering wheel then dropped his head on them with a small thump. "It could be worse, so look on the bright side."

Silence filled the car for a moment and Hunter had to turn his head so that he could see his friend. Shawn's eyebrows had climbed up his forehead high enough that they were partially hidden by the black wool cap that the Showstoppa was wearing. Shawn's voice was low as he spoke. "There is a bright side?"

Hunter forced his face to remain still. It was very hard not to smile at this point. It was so tempting though. He loved putting one over on Shawn, for he rarely was able to rib the older man. Shawn was usually the force behind the brunt of the jokes. "Yeah. It's not snowing." He paused a moment allowing that statement to sink in then added, "Yet."

Shawn's reaction to that was almost comical as the Heartbreak Kid glanced out of the car window to the darkened sky and back at Hunter. "Snow?" he asked, astonished. "It better not snow tonight." You could almost see the thoughts drifting across that boyish face. Hunter guessed he was thinking of them getting buried alive in some freak snowdrift or avalanche.

The Game couldn't suppress his smile any longer. Man, Shawn had such an expressive face. The ends of Hunter's lips curled up as he reached a hand over and clapped Shawn on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It's not supposed to snow for at least another three or four days and we will be gone to warmer pastures by then."

Shawn relaxed a bit at the touch and the reassuring words. However he still was cold right now and didn't bother hiding it. He took his hands out from under his arms and zipped his jacket closed while pulling his hat further down his head so that only the very bottom of his earlobes showed. "I hope so." He reclined his bucket seat back a bit in order to stretch his legs out in front of him. "It sure is cold in here."

Hunter sighed again. "I'd turn on the heat, but you sorta need a working engine for that." He followed Shawn's example and reclined his own seat back, almost until it was lying horizontally. "We might as well make ourselves as comfortable as possible. We are definitely going to be stuck here until morning. I would not advise going out tonight to seek help. You could freeze that ass of yours off in less than 10 minutes." He pillowed his hands under his head and shifted around until he was as settled as he was gonna get. "Once the sun comes up, I can go for help. I think there was a gas station a few miles back." He yawned and blinked at Shawn sleepily.

Shawn slid his seat further downward. "Alright," he reluctantly agreed. "I'll try not to complain too much." He settled himself fully into the plush seat, the only good thing about the car. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Hunter asked while reaching over and turning the overhead light off to plunge the inside of the car into full darkness.

"Don't snore." Shawn stated clearly and then had to cover his head from the flying map that was hurled at him by his best friend.

"Night, Shawn."

"Night, Hunter." Shawn yawned his reply and closed his eyes to the situation at hand.

----------

He couldn't sleep. Try as he might, he just could not relax enough to fall asleep. He knew that mentally he was tired enough; physically he was exhausted too, however the combination of being trapped in the car, the uncomfortable position he had to put his body in and the temperature of the vehicle all collectively joined to keep him awake.

He shivered slightly, thinking of how cold it was outside and hearing the wind blowing against the windows making them rattle ominously. His head was throbbing from a building headache and his throat was starting to feel sore. It was not going to be a good night at all.

He cracked open his eyes and peered into the darkness across the car. From the light of the moon he could make out Shawn's sleeping form. The Heartbreak Kid had curled up with his back towards the window and had folded his hands under his head. All that could be seen of his hair was little curls peeking out from under the woolen cap. Shawn was breathing deeply and evenly, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Hunter smothered a chuckle. For a southern boy, Shawn had adapted quite easily to the situation at hand. He had been expecting Shawn's 'drama queen' side to manifest itself full force tonight and had been prepared to spend the night trying to placate his friend. He was pleasantly surprised that he didn't have to do anything at all.

Keeping his movements to a minimum, he shifted slightly and positioned his hand so that he could reach his watch. With one finger he pressed the button to illuminate the dial. 2:20am.

He released the button and the greenish glow cast by the light receded. It had been over two hours since they had said good night and Hunter had yet to catch any quality rest. He closed his eyes again and tried to blank out his mind. He needed some sleep if he was going to make the trek to the gas station in the morning.

He lay there, for some unmentionable time, neither sleeping nor fully awake. When he cracked his eyes open again, he noticed that Shawn had not moved at all. Frustrated at his lack of being able to adapt like his friend, he flipped over to face the window.

That's when he saw the snowflakes.

He sat up and leaned his forehead against the window to better see outside the car. Sometime in the night it had started to snow. It was falling steadily down, covering the road and land with a blanket of shimmering white. Hunter glanced over his shoulder and wondered briefly what Shawn was going to say when he awoke to find out that it had snowed after all.

Knowing his friend the way he did, Shawn would probably want to have a snowball fight. In some ways, Shawn had never grown up, and was still a little kid at heart. Being around snow, or ice for that matter, always turned him into a playful little boy. Hunter had to smile and face the window again.

The smile faded and he sighed, his breath steaming up the window briefly. He was not feeling up to having any kind of fight in the morning. He was not feeling well at all. Aside from the now present headache, sore throat and body aches, he was starting to feel heated.

He reached down and unzipped his leather jacket, trying his best to keep as quiet as possible in the small space. No sense in the both of them being up all night. He removed one arm and then the other before folding the jacket and placing it on the backseat behind him.

Clad now in a lightweight sweater he still didn't feel cool enough. He reached down and grabbed the hem of the sweater and yanked it over his head, mussing up his hair and getting his arms stuck in the process. He yanked his left arm free and accidentally hit the horn on the steering wheel. It let out a beep of protest before Hunter managed to remove his offending elbow and let silence prevail once again.

He guiltily looked over to where his friend lay and let out a relieved breath that he didn't wake him up. Shawn had merely shifted in his sleep at the sound but still slumbered on.

Hunter extracted his right arm now then balled up the sweater and stuffed in under his head for a pillow. He felt a bit cooler now that he had undressed to his DX T-shirt.

He situated his body and closed his eyes, hoping that now he could sleep.

Time passed.

More time passed.

He opened his eyes. If he had been frustrated before, he was now doubly so. In the past hour he hadn't managed as much as a doze. His temples were beyond throbbing, they were screaming at him now. His sinuses had begun to ache and his nose had started to run.

He glanced at his watch and saw the time was 3:45. Still too early to get up for the day. He desperately wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. His whole body needed the rest, and his mind cried out for it.

To top it off, he was feeling hot again. Sweat was beading on his forehead and starting to trickle down the sides of his face. He needed to cool off.

He glanced out the window at the cold snow still falling outside and around the car. Maybe if he could just get a handful and wipe it over his face he could cool down enough to fall asleep. It certainly couldn't hurt, right?

He sat his seat up and turned the key in the ignition. He said a silent prayer that the car didn't have any loud blaring alarms that reminded you to buckle your seatbelt. Noise like that would have woken his sleeping partner up. He keyed the switch to lower the window, planning on just sticking his hand outside the car long enough to grab a handful of snow. The window slowly lowered.

A blast if icy air immediately filled the car, taking out any and all warmth that had accumulated over the past few hours. Entering the car with the wind was a blast of snow hitting Hunter square in the face and pelting the front seat of the car.

Hunter realized his mistake and quickly keyed the switch for the window. It slid back up locking out the colder weather once again. He clicked the key back into the 'off' position. However, the damage had been done. He turned sheepishly to find Shawn sputtering and wiping his face free from the icy moisture that had pelted it.

"Um, sorry, Shawn, you go back to sleep." Hunter apologized.

Shawn frowned. "What the heck were you doing?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to focus on his friend in the near darkness of the car.

Hunter wiped his face free from the snow and placed one hand on the back of his neck trying to massage the ache there. "I was, um, trying to, um, oh never mind." He turned away from Shawn and reclined his seat back down. He wasn't in the mood to offer an explanation even if his friend did deserve one.

Shawn watched his friend intently, knowing instinctively that there was something bothering him. They had been friends for too long now for him not to notice. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Shawn, go back to sleep. I'm sorry to have disturbed you," came back the muffled reply.

Shawn laid back down but he had no intentions of falling back to sleep. Why in the world would Hunter put down the window in this icy weather? He mulled over the question while watching the snow falling on the windshield. Snow? He sat up again, which prompted Hunter to sit up as well.

"Something wrong, Shawn?" Hunter asked while turning towards his friend with a glazed look in his eyes.

"It's snowing." Shawn stated the obvious while pointing towards the windshield. "You said it wasn't going to snow."

Hunter shook his head. "Well, I was wrong, okay? I'm not a weatherman in my spare time." His voice came out gruffer than he had intended but for gosh sakes he was tired, everything ached and he didn't want to discuss the weather. He plopped back down in his seat. "Good night, Shawn."

Concern filled Shawn's eyes as he raked them over his friend's form. Hunter was clad only in his T-shirt and jeans. Something was definitely not right. He curled back up in his seat, keeping both eyes on his friend.

Frustration had changed now to torture as sleep continued to elude The Game. He could almost hear the seconds ticking off in his head with every heartbeat. Minute after slow minute passed with only Shawn's breathing to accompany it.

His nose was still running. It was getting worse now, since he had let in the cooler air. He reached up and wiped the moisture accumulating under it with one knuckle, then rubbed that dry on his jeans covered leg. He didn't want to sniff, in case Shawn was not sleeping. He didn't want to give any indication that he was doing anything other than sleeping.

More time passed. His nose kept on running.

Another quick swipe, which he tried to make look like he was stretching.

More time passed. Damn this large nose of his! Why didn't it just quit running already? He decided to risk a sniff, like he was just taking in a deep breath of air.

SNIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFF

He began coughing as the moisture traveled from his nose to down his throat. He brought up one hand and tried to muffle the coughs into his closed fist. His nostrils flared as he realized now that he had a new problem.

He needed to sneeze.

No sooner than that thought registered in his mind, his eyes slammed shut and he buried his rather large nose into the sweater balled beneath his head. "_Heh-_" the intake of air was barely audible and released just as quickly. "_TChhhhh!_" His body shook with the force of him trying to muffle it.

Shawn had been watching as Hunter had been trying to get comfortable for the past twenty or so minutes. He had watched but not said a word as the younger man had fidgeted and stretched then had broken out into a coughing fit. It was at this point that he realized that Hunter probably had not been sleeping at all this night. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything yet, as he knew how difficult Hunter could get at times.

Especially if what he suspected was true.

Hunter liked to think that he was above pain and suffering, for when he was in the ring, he acted tougher than nails, but Shawn knew better. If what he was thinking was true then in a few short hours he was going to have his hands full. His best friend was such a baby when it came to colds. He was needy, greedy, moody and more. He would whine and complain with the best of them. He excelled at it too.

So Shawn watched. When the coughing fit ended, he heard the inevitable intake of air and then the almost silent sneeze. He sighed and decided to speak up. Hunter wasn't going to be able to hide it any longer. "Bless you."

Damn! Hunter swore silently in his head. He had been hoping Shawn had been sleeping. He rubbed his nose dry and cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you?" Shawn countered.

"I was." Hunter lied and tried to get comfortable.

"Oh no you weren't." Shawn protested. "I've been watching you."

"Wonderful. Don't you have anything else better to do?" His voice was laced with sarcasm. "Go back to sleep and stop watching me."

"On one condition."

"That being?"

"Admit you are sick and can't sleep."

No, no, no, no, no! He was not going to admit that to anyone. Least of all Shawn 'I'm better than you' Michaels. "I'm not sick, Shawn. Now go to sleep."

Shawn wanted to reach out and touch his friend's skin, but he couldn't think of a reason to intrude on the other man's privacy just yet. He ran a finger over his stubbled chin in deep thought. This was going to take some work.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't. He heard two more muffled sneezes, one right after the other. "People don't sneeze in their sleep, Hunter."

"They do when it's c-cold," he paused for a second, "_Heh-eh-Tchhhh! Chhhh!_" The sneezes seemed to be getting harder to muffle. Not to mention that his sweater was doing a poor job as a handkerchief. He really needed to blow his nose too.

Shawn reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a napkin. He passed it over to Hunter. "Bless you. Use this."

Hunter took the proffered object with a sheepish smile. He was on the verge of speaking when the urge hit him again. He brought the napkin up to his face and buried his nose into it as his eyes squeezed shut. His forehead furrowed and his mouth fell open as he panted before releasing the unrestrained sneeze into the paper square. "_HEH-ISHHAAHHH!_"

God, that had felt good to let go! He then blew his nose fully and sighed. He turned over in his seat to find Shawn watching him with his eyebrows raised.

The two men stared at each other for a few minutes. Shawn simply reached into his pocket again and pulled out another napkin. "If you insist you aren't sick you won't be needing this." He held the white square up, just out of Hunter's reach. He waved it around in the air. "Just admit you are sick and I'll hand it over."

"I. Am. Not. Sick." Hunter stated plainly then rubbed under his nose with the soggy square he held.

"Ok, then." Shawn pocketed the paper item and smiled that infuriating smile of his. "Good Night Hunter."

Why did Shawn have to be such a tease? He looked at the square he was holding and realized that he was going to have a real problem. Unless he started ripping up his clothes to use for handkerchiefs, he was going to need what Shawn had. Hopefully Shawn had a few more too.

He watched as Shawn laid down in the seat and stretched out lazily. He wanted to reach over and slap the cocky grin off his friend's face. He wasn't going to admit that…."_Heh-tchhhh! Ehshhhhh! Heh-ehh-ASHHHHH!_" He barely managed to bury his nose in the crook of his arm to keep from sneezing on Shawn.

"Bless you, Hunter." Shawn said and opened his eyes. "Are you sure you're not sick? I think you could use this right about now." He pulled the napkin out and held it up.

Hunter reached for it, knowing he needed it bad. He had run his nose over his shirt sleeve by the shoulder but he really, really needed to blow his nose. He growled when Shawn pulled it out of his reach. "Give me that you little minx!"

"Admit it."

"No!"

"You are sick. You have a cold, just say so already!" He kept the napkin just far enough away that Hunter would have to climb into Shawn's seat if he wanted to grab it.

Frustration, anger, overtiredness and exhaustion all filled his voice when he finally yelled out, "FINE! I'M SICK! HAPPY NOW?" He fell against his seat not willing to fight anymore for a small paper square. He started to take his shirt off to rip it up when he felt something even softer being placed in his hand. He looked up at Shawn and saw that it was a real cloth handkerchief.

Shawn shrugged at Hunter's bewildered expression. "Becca makes me carry them. Say's its gentlemanly." He nodded at the cloth. "Go on, use it."

Hunter kept one eye on Shawn while unfolding the pristine white square. He brought it to his face and buried his nose into the soft folds then blew heartily. It was such a relief at last to empty some of the congestion out from his sinuses. He sighed, then lowered the cloth, balling it up in one hand to use again later.

Shawn reached over and at last rested the back of his hand against The Game's forehead. He was surprised at just how warm his friend was. Hunter must have been miserable most of the night.

Hunter sighed at the touch of the other man's cooler fingers against his fevered brow. He moved over some so that Shawn wouldn't have to stretch far. That cool skin contact felt wonderful. He moaned, then whimpered. "Shawn?"

"Yes, Hunter?" The teasing was gone now, replaced with genuine concern.

"I'm sick."

"I know, I know." He hushed the larger man and removed his hand. "You're running a fever."

"Is that so?"

Shawn nodded. "Turn the key and let me get some snow so we can cool you down."

Hunter nodded and sat up to click the key on. Shawn lowered the window just enough to allow him to grab a handful of snow from the roof of the car before thumbing the window back up. Hunter turned the key off again and sank back into his seat.

Shawn shivered at the cold air. "Man it is cold outside." He quickly packed the snow into his only other spare handkerchief and placed the cold compress on Hunter's fevered forehead.

"AHHHHHH!" Hunter nearly screamed at the icy coldness as it nearly froze his brains. He reached up and pulled the cloth off.

"Too cold?" Shawn asked.

Hunter nodded. "Yeah. Way too cold."

Shawn unfolded the cloth and dropped the mass of snow on the passenger side dash. He dipped the cloth in the slush a few times and wrung it out. Taking this new cloth he wiped Hunter's face off then placed it across his brow. "Better?"

Hunter sighed. "Much." He didn't get much time to relax and enjoy the coolness before he had to bring the other handkerchief up to his face and smother three sneezes into the folds. Opening the window had allowed another rush of cold air to enter the cabin of the car.

Hunter blew his nose once the fit was over and sighed. "I feel so miserable, Shawn."

"You're gonna be fine, I'm here to make sure of that." He removed the cloth that had heated up and re-wetted it with fresh snow-water. "Now just close your eyes and try to get some rest." He again placed the cloth back upon his friend's brow.

"Ok." His eyes slid shut with little effort at this point. He lay back and listened to the sounds around him. The whistle of the wind, the gentle pitter-patter of the snow falling on the roof, Shawn's steady breathing and softly spoken words of comfort.

He was finally falling asleep, dropping down to that place where reality is blurred with your imagination, taking solace in the comfort of his friend's gentle touch as Shawn continued to cool him down. He yawned once then fell over that void at long last.

It took two more whole hours of wetting and draping the cloth over Hunter's skin before his friend's fever broke. Shawn had resorted to opening the door to get more snow rather than trying to get the window down. He had to constantly wet and flip the cloth over, sometimes stroking the rag along The Game's cheeks and neck while wiping beads of sweat away.

Two hours of listening to Hunter mumble out in fevered dreams, calling for Steph and almost waking, only to fall back into the deep slumber. Shawn didn't deviate from his plan, just kept wiping and cooling off the younger man, whispering words of comfort when he could.

After the two hours had elapsed and the sun had started to shine above the horizon, Shawn had noticed that Hunter's skin was no longer clammy. It was cool and dry for the first time. He sagged back into his seat, exhausted. He was not about to wake Hunter for the trip to the gas station.

No. Steph would never forgive him if Hunter's cold turned into pneumonia. He would catch an hour's rest, then make the trek for help himself, certain that Hunter would sleep most of the day anyway.

His bloodshot blue eyes slid closed as he fell asleep next to the only one in the world that was like a second brother to him.

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Hunter woke to the streaming midday sun in his eyes. He opened them once then slammed them shut again. Where was he?

He opened his eyes again, this time a bit more cautiously. He was in a car. His body and head ached terribly. Why the hell was he sleeping in a car?

He sat up and looked around. He was alone. Wasn't someone supposed to be with him? He couldn't remember. Maybe that chair shot he had taken last night had finally scrambled his brains.

Chair shot. Raw. Memory started to trickle back into his consciousness. He had been with Shawn last night when their rental car had died out. They had to spend the night in the car.

Shawn. Where the hell was Shawn? He rubbed his hands through his sticky and matted hair. Boy did he sure need a shower. And a toilet too, he realized with a wry grin. He looked out the window. The snow had stopped sometime while he had been sleeping.

First things first, he would answer nature's call, then try to find out where his missing friend had gone. He opened the door and stepped out of the car.

And immediately dove back into it for his jacket. He pulled the leather item off the back seat and unfolded it. He slid his arms into the sleeves then zipped it up. That car might have been comfortable but the outside weather left little to be desired. He closed the car door and walked over to a grove of trees not to far from the car. Nature wasn't going to be waiting much longer for him.

----------

Shawn had been walking for miles, finding no one and no signs of civilization. He kept checking the signal on his own cell phone, hoping for a break but had still picked up the –NO SIGNAL – on the screen.

White snow blanketed everything, from the roads to the grass to even the treetops. He had yet to see a building. What was worse, he was afraid that he was going to get lost soon. He didn't want to leave Hunter alone for too much longer, knowing the other man would be waking soon.

Finally, he gave up and turned back, re-tracing his footsteps back to the car. They would have to find another solution to this problem. Right now being separated would not do either one of them any good.

He shivered at the cold air biting through his jacket and cap. Had he ever felt this cold before? He kept his head down and kept on walking. As long as he kept moving he would not freeze to death. As long as his heart was pumping warm blood to his arms and legs, he would be fine.

He was very thankful that he had worn his thickest cowboy boots back from the show. Right now that was the only thing keeping his toes from a severe case of frostbite. Still he walked on.

After what seemed like forever, he finally saw the silhouette of the car ahead. Even though he would be bringing bad news, he was at least thankful he would no longer be alone in this cold world.

He ran to the car and opened the door. "Hey Hunter," he started to say but noticed as he went to sit that the car was empty.

Good Lord, Stephanie would never forgive him now! Where the heck could Hunter have gone?

"_HEH-EH-ASSHEE! Heh-exshht!_"

The loud double sneeze caused Shawn to jump and spin around. Never in his life had he been happy to hear that sound. "Hunter!"

Hunter was heading towards the car with one arm buried in the sleeve of his jacket. Shawn opened the passenger side door and motioned with one hand. "Get inside now before you get any worse!"

Hunter slid easily into the car, allowing Shawn to shut the door once he was inside. He reached over and picked up the used hanky from the driver side just as Shawn opened the door and climbed in.

He closed the door and shook his body to warm it some. "Brrrrrr! I'll never take warmer climates for granted again."

Hunter held up one finger to halt Shawn's next set of words. "_Heh-tchhhh! Ehshhhhh!_" He sneezed violently into the folds of the hanky and blew his nose before looking up at Shawn with red-rimmed eyes.

"Bless you."

"Thanks. Did you find help?"

Shawn looked down at his boots. "No. I walked for miles but couldn't find anyone. That gas station you say you saw must have been further back than you believed. I left here around 10am, Hunter. It's nearly 2pm now." He glanced back up. "I don't think we are gonna find help by walking back the way we came or even walking forwards."

Hunter reached over and pulled the lever to bring his seat back to the upright position. He rested his head on the headrest and allowed his eyes to close. "Well, I'm sure by now that everyone has noticed that we are missing. If I know Steph, she will have the national guard out looking for us."

"That, my dear Hunter, is probably true." He sighed and looked over his friend's face. "How are you feeling today?"

"Congested. Achy. Miserable." Hunter answered truthfully. "Hungry." He added with a small laugh and looked out the window. "Tired too."

Shawn's stomach growled in response. "I'll second the hungry part."

"Too bad we didn't grab any take out last night on the way to the hotel." Hunter said and licked his lips while turning back to his friend. "I could sure go for even Steph's cooking right about now."

Shawn had to laugh, knowing how inedible Hunter's wife's cooking really was. The Billion Dollar Princess she might have been but her cooking was below dollar store value. "I'm sure she'll find us before we have to resort to any such drastic measures."

He then slapped his forehead. "Oh wait, I just remembered something." He took the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car.

Hunter watched through the back window as Shawn opened the trunk, rummaged around for a bit then closed it and returned to the car. He opened the door and sat down then closed it. "Here you go. It's not a steak dinner, but it's better than nothing."

He held out his hands. Clasped in them was a bag full of snacks and energy drinks. The large bag held smaller Ziploc bags full of raisins, pretzels, dried fruit, trail mix and granola bars. There were even a few chocolate bars hidden between the granola bars.

Hunter raised one eyebrow, reminiscent of The Rock as he looked at the forbidden candy. He knew full well that Rebecca always harped on Shawn for his sweet tooth.

Shawn blushed at the look. "Shoot me, okay? She wasn't going to find out, alright? What harm can a few candy bars do anyway?" He held out the goodie bag. "You choose first."

The Game was about to reach into the bag but quickly had to turn his head away to avoid sneezing on the food. "_Heh-eh -tchhhh! Ehshah! Eshxxxt!_" He grabbed the now overused hanky and wiped up his face. "Sorry." He turned away again and coughed into his fist.

"Bless you, Hunter. You don't have to apologize for being sick."

Hunter sighed. Being sick was no fun at all. He reached into the bag and took one of the granola bars and the bag of pretzels. He selected a bottle of Gatorade then handed the bag back to Shawn.

Shawn took the trail mix and a bottle of Gatorade. He set the remaining food down between them and opened up his drink. All that walking had made him very thirsty. He gulped it down quickly.

Both men ate silently for a bit until their basic hunger had been satiated and most of the food had been consumed. Hunter finished the last of his drink then turned to Shawn, who was eyeing the chocolate bar with lust in his eyes. Hunter smiled. "Go on. You deserve it. You stayed up with me last night."

Shawn picked up the prized bar and caressed it lovingly. "Nah, I shouldn't."

"You should. I won't tell, I promise." He held up his hand in a boy scout salute.

"Hunter, you were never a scout."

"I've never lied to you either."

Shawn ripped open the chocolate and broke the bar in half. "I'll eat half if you do. This way we both can get in trouble."

"Agreed." Hunter took his half and bit off a piece. The chocolate was rich and creamy, offsetting the bland taste of the other food he had already eaten. He glanced over to look at Shawn and was surprised to see the Heartbreak Kid with an almost orgasmic expression on his face. He had to quickly swallow or he would have choked.

When he regained control of himself, he asked, "When was the last time you had chocolate, Shawn?"

Shawn finished the last of the candy and smiled blissfully. "Well, Cheyenne was just a baby, and that was about two years ago…." He began to lick the remnants of the chocolate off his fingers. "Becca never lets me have anything at all sweet. She says that she is sweet enough for me."

"They always say that." Hunter said and finished up his own half of the candy before Shawn could attack him for it. "Why don't you ever buy it yourself?"

Shawn shrugged. "I try to keep my word to her. I want her to trust me. I don't want to have to lie to her."

Hunter thought this over. "Soooooo, why did you buy it this time?"

"I didn't."

"It was in the bag." Hunter pointed out. "I'm sure that Rebecca didn't put it in there."

"That doesn't mean that I bought it." Shawn stated vaguely. "Someone else put it in the bag."

"Who?" Hunter asked, now very curious as to who else had known about Shawn's sweet tooth.

"Someone," Shawn danced around the issue. "I'm not supposed to tell, you know."

"You can tell me," Hunter argued with a small smile on his face. "Who is around here for me to tell?"

Shawn busied himself with cleaning up the remains of their meal. "We aren't going to be stuck here forever, and if I tell, I might never get any again."

Hunter glanced at his friend. Boy Shawn sure knew how to get what he wanted. Well Hunter knew that game too. "If you tell me, I'll give you double what you got this time at the next Raw show."

He could see those words having an effect on Shawn. Mentally the Showstoppa was weighing how much trouble he could get in against double his chocolate. Sometimes being friends with Shawn was fun. "Well, you gonna spill?"

"Promise you won't tell?"

"I give you my word."

Shawn looked out the window at the white world surrounding them then over to his friend. "Um, well, I'm gonna hold you to this. And I want the good stuff next Raw. The ones with the almonds and coconut and the chewy caramel, okay?"

"Deal. Now spill." Hunter smiled. "Stop stalling."

Shawn looked down at the remains of the candy wrapper and fingered it like a lost lover. "Lita."

Hunter had to struggle not to laugh. Lita was his black market in chocolate? Oh if Rebecca knew she'd be livid. He swallowed his amusement, knowing that this was an issue not to be laughed at. Lita? He waited until Shawn looked him in the eyes. "I won't say a word."

"Good." Shawn then crumpled the wrapper up and added it to the rest of the trash bag he had put together. He sighed, trying to think of a way to change the subject. He didn't want to discuss his caloric intake any further. "Recon we should try the car again?"

Hunter nodded. "It can't hurt. If it starts we can get out of here."

Shawn stuck the key in the ignition and closed his eyes in a silent prayer. "Please, Lord," he said softly. He held his breath and turned the key.

The engine sputtered and whined. He released the key and stepped on the gas pedal. "Come on, come on!" He turned the key again.

The engine roared to life. Shawn let out a whoot and a holler. "ALLRIGHT! THAT'S THE WAY TO GO!" He put his seat back to a comfortable seating position and buckled up his seat belt.

Hunter did the same, not wanting to completely trust Shawn's driving. "Uh, Shawn, you sure you don't want me to drive?"

Shawn looked at him pointedly. "No. You rest up. I'll take us back to the hotel." He thought about it once then revised his statement. "No, I'll take us back to civilization, and that will get us back to the hotel." He shifted the car into drive and turned the car around to go back the way they had come.

Luckily the daytime sun had melted a good bit of the snow on the roadway. Shawn was able to handle the car fairly easily taking care to keep his eyes on the road. Hunter rested and did his best not to distract the Texan from his driving. However he couldn't keep from coughing every few minutes to sneezing when he wasn't coughing.

"Shawn?"

"Yes?"

"I'm getting worse, aren't I?" Hunter asked, his voice full of need and want.

"I can't say for sure, I'm not a doctor." Shawn glanced over at his friend and took a quick look-see then put his eyes back on the road. "Your cold might be settling in your chest."

"Won-won-" he paused and let out a vicious unrestrained sneeze. "_HEH-ISHHAAHHH!_" He dropped the dirty hanky and grabbed the slightly damp but much cleaner one from the dash to wipe under his nose. "Wonderful."

"Bless you."

"You don't have to keep saying that, you know."

"I know. I want to." The Heartbreak Kid smiled. "You need all the blessings you can get."

Hunter rolled his eyes at the remark.

----------

It took two more hours before they were back at the arena. From that point it was only moments until they reached the hotel. Hunter had fallen back asleep at some point during the drive.

Shawn turned the car off after parking it out front. "Hunter, you can wake up now. We're back." He reached over and shook his friend gently. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Let's get you in the hotel where it is warm and comfortable."

Hunter cracked his eyes open. "Did you say hotel?" he asked wearily. Everything swam slightly before his eyes.

"Yeah, hotel. Your fever is back too." Shawn stated as he pressed his hand against Hunter's brow. "Stay there, I'll go open your door."

He opened his own door and got out of the car, motioning towards the hotel lobby and the porter that was standing inside. When the little guy came out Shawn tossed him the keys. "Get our bags and bring them up to rooms 407 and 408." He then walked around to Hunter's side of the car.

When he opened the door, Hunter almost fell out of the car. "Whoa!" Shawn exclaimed as he helped the former champion to his feet. "Put your arm around me," he said as he waited for the other man to balance himself.

It took a few tries but he finally got Hunter situated and walked him to the lobby. It was inside that was greeted with the sound of a shriek that could only come from one woman.

Stephanie.

She ran over to where Shawn was walking towards the elevators. "OH THANK GOD YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!"

Hunter heard the voice and mumbled, "Steph? Is that you?"

She had her hands on his face. "Yes, honey, it's me. Dad and Shane have people out all over town trying to find you guys. Where have you been and what's wrong?"

Shawn grunted under the dead weight of The Game. "I'll explain that all to you once we get him up to his room and in bed, okay? Now either move out of the way or help me!"

Stephanie was shocked that someone would dare speak to her in that manner. However upon looking over both guys she noticed that neither one looked like they had gotten much sleep. She took her husband's arm and draped it over her shoulder and pressed the up button on the elevator.

----------

Three hours later Shawn was relaxing in clean clothes while checking on his friend. Stephanie had sent out for medicine and had given it to Hunter after giving him a long soak in a hot bath.

He was resting comfortably now, whining every now and then about how something was hurting or aching and would she mind just massaging his back just one more time?

After catering to his wishes for three hours, she had called Shawn over and told him she needed to get away for a few minutes. If she heard one more plea from her husband she was going to scream!

She had grabbed her purse and kissed her husband before making her escape.

Shawn sighed. He sipped at his hot chocolate and flipped through the channels on the TV in Hunter's room. The snowstorm had grounded all flights out for two more days. He had called his wife and advised her of the delay. Now there was little to do except wait.

"Shaaaaaaaaawn!"

Or wait on someone. He put his drink down, knowing that he probably wouldn't get back to it while it was still hot. He stood up and walked slowly over to the bed.

"Yes, Hunter?"

"I'm outta water." He indicated his empty cup on the nightstand.

Shawn picked up the pitcher and mentally scolded himself for wanting to dump it on Hunter's head. He poured a fresh cup. "Here you go."

Hunter took the cup and sipped from it allowing the cool liquid to quench the fire in his throat. Shawn was just starting to walk away.

"Shaaawn!"

Shawn came back. "Yes, Hunter?"

"I'm outta tissues." He indicated the empty box next to him. "These ones make my nose sore."

"I'll fix that for you." Shawn stated and left the room. When he came back he handed Hunter a clean and folded handkerchief. He put a small pile next to the younger man on the nightstand within easy reach.

"Better now?"

"Yes." Hunter unfolded the square and blew his nose then sighed in relief.

Shawn again started to walk away.

"Shaaaaaaawn!" This time the call was high pitched and whiney.

"What do you want now Hunter?" Shawn wished like heck that he had been able to catch a plane out of town. Or a bus. Or a train. Anything at all to be out of here.

"Sit with me for a bit?" He asked while looking over at his friend with sad eyes. "I'm feeling kinda lonely and Steph ran out on me."

Shawn sighed, and remembered that to be a good Christian you had to do onto others the way you would like to be treated. "Sure, Hunter." He waited until The Game had scooted over some then perched on the side of the bed, his legs dangling.

Hunter relaxed and smiled. "This is so much nicer than the car, wouldn't you say?"

Shawn bit his lip. It would be nicer than the car if he had been allowed to stay in his bed for more than a few minutes. "Oh, its tons better than the car. It's nice and warm and dry." At least he wasn't lying about that. He no longer felt cold.

"Brush my hair?" Hunter asked as he indicated his long free-flowing locks. "Steph usually does it when I get out of the shower but she didn't tonight."

Shawn was about to refuse, there was just some places where you had to draw the line but Hunter looked at him with those pleading eyes that slammed shut with a sudden sneeze that was only partially caught in the hanky. "_Heh-tchhhh!_"

"Bless you, Hunter. Yes, I'll brush your hair." He could almost swear that Hunter was trying to get him sick too.

"Thank you, Shawn." He sat up and allowed Shawn to sit behind him after the older man had grabbed the brush from the dresser.

Shawn began brushing from the bottom to the top, then from the top to the bottom making sure that he didn't pull to hard and that he didn't miss any tangles. He had a hard time of doing it though as Hunter kept pulling away to sneeze or cough. He kept repeating over and over in his mind, 'thou shalt not kill' to get him through the ordeal.

When he was finally done his hand was cramping but Hunter's hair had never looked better. "All done," he said and started to get up.

"Put it up for me."

"Do what?" Shawn asked astonished.

"Put it up. Ponytail or braid. Whatever you like." Hunter said casually.

What I would like is to rip your hair out by the roots, Shawn thought. Instead he reached over to the nightstand and picked up a hair tie. He carefully combed the long strands into a ponytail and fixed the elastic around them. Once it was secure, he moved out from behind his friend.

"Ok, you're all set now." He got up from the bed.

"Shaaaawnnn!"

Shawn stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "Yes, Hunter?"

"I'm hungry."

"You just ate not that long ago." Shawn reminded him of the rather large dinner that he had tucked into. Shawn had barely had time to nibble at his meal before Stephanie had called him over.

"I'm still hungry." Hunter pleaded.

Shawn turned back to the bed. "What would you like?"

"Candy." The Game said with a devilish gleam in his eyes.

That did it. Shawn snapped. "No. I know what you are doing and I'm going to bed in my own room now. You want candy, you can get it yourself!"

Hunter bit his lip, looking for all the world like he was going to cry.

Shawn turned away, refusing to look at that gaze. He was frustrated, he was hungry, and he was tired of being a servant. He started walking away when something hit him in the back of the head with a thump. He fell over.

It only took a moment for him to realize that he had been pelted with a pillow. He picked up the pillow and walked over to the bed where Hunter now sat with a sullen, moody expression on his face.

If that was how Hunter wanted it, well Shawn could give as much as he could take. He held the pillow up but didn't say a word.

Hunter just stared at him as if daring him to say or do anything about it.

Shawn did something. He reared his arms back as far as they could go and pelted Hunter squarely in the face with the pillow.

Hunter spluttered and went down. It only took a moment for The Game to really get into this. He picked up another pillow off the bed and smacked Shawn upside the head with it.

Shawn went down across the bed. He then bounded back up and began pelting his friend with multiple pillow shots. Hunter returned them, blow for blow.

Somewhere in the middle of all this the pillows got busted open. Feathers flew everywhere, covering the bed, and both men in fluffy white down.

Shawn started laughing, having to let go of his pillow and cover his belly with both arms as he saw his feather covered friend looking like a giant rooster. This made him think of Vince and the pranks they had played on him over the past months.

He laughed harder.

Hunter couldn't help but join in and soon both men were laughing so hard that tears formed in their eyes. "Can- can you- believe this?" Hunter asked while trying to catch his breath. "Two grown- men – having a girly- " he broke off in another gale of laughter that left his sides heaving. "Girly – pillow fight."

Shawn finally got control of his laugher and collapsed on the bed next to Hunter. "Well, we couldn't do the snowball fight." His face was flushed from laughing so hard.

Hunter was about to respond but had to dig through the feathers to find the hanky that had gotten lost on the bed. "_Heh-heh_" he attempted to hold it back, placing one finger under his nose.

Shawn started laughing again. "That only works in the movies." He reached over and pulled a fresh feather free hanky from the nightstand and unfolded it with a flip of his wrist.

Hunter was still panting and his face had frozen in that classic pre-sneeze expression with his eyes slitted, his brow all wrinkled and his mouth partially open. "_HEH- heh – heh_"

Shawn replaced the finger with the hanky making sure that his hand was well covered. "Let it out already."

"_HEH-ISHHAAHHH!_" Hunter exploded into the cloth covered hand. It was quickly followed by a series of shorter and wetter sneezes. "_Heh-eh-Tchhhh! Eshhh! Heh-Chishh! AhChhhh!_"

Hunter finally took the cloth from Shawn with a final, "_Heh-eh-Tchhhh!_"

Shawn blinked. "Geez, Hunter. God Bless You."

"Thanks. It's the…" he paused, "_ Eshhh! Eshhh! _" he pointed down towards the bed. "Feathers."

Shawn got up and yanked the covers off the bed and the still sneezing Hunter. He balled up the blanket then ran to his room and took his blanket off his bed and returned. When he came back Hunter was just finishing up blowing his nose and wiping off his eyes. He looked flushed from all the exertion.

"Lay back," Shawn ordered. "Catch your breath."

Hunter nodded and relaxed against the pillows. There were still feathers on the bed, but not nearly as many now. The remaining few didn't bother him. He patted the bed. "Come here, Shawn."

Shawn took his place on the bed next to his friend. "You okay now?"

Hunter nodded. "Better. I haven't laughed that much in a long time."

Shawn smiled. "Neither have I."

They sat quietly for a few moments, each just taking time to calm down. Hunter spoke up first. "Shawn?"

Not again. "Yes, Hunter."

"Thank you."

Puzzled silence. "For what?"

"Staying with me. Taking care of me last night. Taking care of me tonight." A long pause. "For making me laugh, and mostly for being my friend."

Shawn sank into the remaining pillows, glad for once that he didn't have to get right up. "Anytime, Hunter." His eyes slid shut.

Hunter looked over at his sleeping friend and had to smile. Well he didn't really need anything else at the moment. He could allow Shawn some time to catch up on some much needed rest.

He closed his eyes as well and was soon fast asleep.

Stephanie came home about an hour later. She looked from the unwatched TV to the cold cup of hot chocolate. Then her eyes fell on the feathered covered floor and the balled up blanket.

Finally her gaze landed on the bed and the two men fast asleep in it. Both had feathers in their hair and Hunter's was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Shawn's hair was released from its normal hold but feathers were tangled in the slightly curly locks.

Both men looked like angels, innocent and sweet. Shawn had wrapped one hand around his pillow and was cuddling it. Hunter had one arm draped over Shawn's waist in an imaginary pinfall. Oh how she was tempted to take a picture!

Quietly she put her things down and began to pick up the room. The TV got turned off, the undrank cocoa wound up getting dumped down the drain. The balled up blanket and the ripped pillows were put into Shawn's room and room service was called to replace the blanket and the pillows.

Finally she approached the bed and the two men. She plucked as many loose feathers off the men and pulled quite a few out of their hair before she rested one hand on her husband's forehead, checking for a temperature.

He was cool and dry. He also stirred at her touch. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "Hi, Honey, how are you?" She stroked his cheek with one finger.

He opened his eyes and saw his wife. "I'm okay, baby, but you shouldn't be kissing me. I don't want you to get sick." He then realized just where his arm was laying and blushed. "Um, Sweetheart, this isn't what it looks like."

"Save the explanation for later. Right now let's get the 'Boy Toy' in his own bed, hmm?"

Hunter nodded and nudged his friend. "Hey Shawn? Wake up Shawn."

Shawn mumbled but did not wake up.

"Shawn, Steph is home and I'd much rather sleep with her, if you get my drift." He nudged Shawn's sleeping form again.

Shawn finally started to show signs of life. "What's that Hunter? What snowdrift? We aren't in the snow." He rolled over and started to fall back asleep.

"Let me handle this." Steph said and walked over to the other side of the bed. She winked at Hunter then bent over and planted a juicy kiss on Shawn's lips.

Shawn started to kiss her back then realized what he was doing and his eyes shot wide open. He saw Steph standing over the bed and pulling away from his lips. He sat bolt upright and glanced over to Hunter who was trying hard not to laugh. "Uh, Hunter, buddy, I didn't just kiss your wife. She kissed me. Honestly."

"Stop rambling and go to your own room." Hunter smirked. "I want to kiss my wife now if you don't mind. And I want to do it alone."

Shawn scrambled off the bed, almost falling in the process. His legs had fallen asleep and wouldn't hold his weight. He crashed down on the floor which made Steph squeal out in peals of giggles.

"Nice to know I can make you laugh, Steph, but a little help here would be nice."

She walked over to him and still laughing helped him up. "I'm never leaving the two of you alone again. You boys get into more mischief together." She draped one of Shawn's arms across her shoulders. "I'll be right back, Honey," she said to Hunter as she helped Shawn into his own room.

When she came back she smiled. "We are all alone now and from what I can see, you've had a nap, and you seem to be feeling better."

"How's Shawn?" Hunter asked while taking his wife into his arms.

"Dead asleep. He fell right back asleep as soon as I laid him on his bed. That poor boy is so tired. You didn't run him ragged while I was gone, did you?" She wrapped her arms around her husband seductively and kissed his neck.

"Nah, I hardly asked him for anything. I was a very good boy." He took in a hissing breath as his wife nuzzled his neck and began working up to his earlobe. "Am I being rewarded?"

She nodded and blew in his ear. "I've heard of a new cure for common colds."

He growled and she licked his ear. "Oh? What is it, may I ask?"

She began to undress him. "I'd much rather show you, my Dearest."

He licked his lips hungrily. "Remind me to get sick more often so you can cure me."

"This cure works whether you are sick or not, that's the beauty of it." With a flick of her wrist she reached over and turned out the lights and crawled under the covers to make her man well the best way she knew how.

-End


End file.
